Alien Oceans

The Search for Life in the Depths of Space

By: Kevin Hand

Narrated by: Kevin Hand

Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Inside the epic quest to find life on the water-rich moons at the outer reaches of the solar system

Where is the best place to find life beyond Earth? We often look to Mars as the most promising site in our solar system, but recent scientific missions have revealed that some of the most habitable real estate may actually lie farther away. Beneath the frozen crusts of several of the small, ice-covered moons of Jupiter and Saturn lurk vast oceans that may have been in existence for as long as Earth, and together may contain more than 50 times its total volume of liquid water. Could there be organisms living in their depths? Alien Oceans reveals the science behind the thrilling quest to find out.

Kevin Peter Hand is one of today's leading NASA scientists, and his pioneering research has taken him on expeditions around the world. In this captivating account of scientific discovery, he brings together insights from planetary science, biology, and the adventures of scientists like himself to explain how we know that oceans exist within moons of the outer solar system, like Europa, Titan, and Enceladus. He shows how the exploration of Earth's oceans is informing our understanding of the potential habitability of these icy moons, and draws lessons from what we have learned about the origins of life on our own planet to consider how life could arise on these distant worlds.

Alien Oceans describes what lies ahead in our search for life in our solar system and beyond, setting the stage for the transformative discoveries that may await us.

©2020 Kevin Hand (P)2020 Princeton University Press

Critic reviews

"Kevin Peter Hand has delivered a beautiful portrayal of the science behind our search for life in alien oceans, and the connection to our precious ocean here on Earth. A must-read for all who gaze at the stars above and ponder the abyss below." (James Cameron)

"Hand humanizes the science behind the search for life on icy worlds in our solar system and beyond." (Gordon Southam, University of Queensland)

"In this delightful book, Kevin Peter Hand takes readers from the depths of Earth's oceans to those of the outer solar system, describing encounters with magical, alien-like creatures at the bottom of the Atlantic and offering informed speculations about what life could be like in the subsurface oceans of faraway moons. Recounting the story of how we discovered these alien oceans, he gives us a peek at the lives and personalities of some of the scientists who pieced together all the clues. His explanations are full of engaging analogies that will help general readers understand the science needed to think rigorously about life as we know it - and as we do not yet know it." (Jill Tarter, SETI Institute)

Scientifically honest and very interesting

Probably the best single book I’ve read/listened to regarding the possibility of life beyond Earth. Just the right mixture of science and author’s anecdotes

The moons are the key of life!

Easy and entertaining insight into the discoveries of the solar system moons that could harbor life. We need to send probes asap!

Extremely Informative

Academic non-fiction on audible is hard. Current scientific books and works have a tougher time penetrating through to the listener than paper books, which can use figures to help push understanding through. But Alien Oceans does it, and does it well.

Read by the author of the book who is an expert in his field, Alien Oceans will throw you in the deep end, but it keeps the floaties on.

interesting and entertaining

Great reading with lots of scientific facts about ocean moons and prospects for finding life with easy explanations.

Very well written

Author does a great job in explaining the complex science and guiding you thru these monumental discoveries. In the end, you feel excited about the future and desiring to read more about planetary science.

Superb.

Perfect combination of concepts details and analogies. It appeals to me, as an evolutionary biologist but also my 15 years old son.

Utterly engrossed

This is a wonderful book… accessible, stimulating, engrossing, opening your mind to potentially life-supporting environments within our solar system. Ideas all well-thought-out and presented clearly. Excellent narration by the author. I have 796 books from Audible, this is one of my very few 5/5/5 reviews, and I actually paid cash (not a credit) on this one - best decision I’ve made in a long time. Thank you, Kevin.

Excellent intro to the fascinated subject

I really liked this book. The author takes one of the most fascinating question of recent decades and offers some answers that are both easy to understand and deeply rooted in science. I didn't like the narration... it felt a bit too colloquial, but then, after I was done with the book, I saw that it was the author who provided the narration. That changed everything: it made the author and the subject more approachable... more like listening to a passionate and knowledgable friend.

Well done, up to date, and a good science review!

Just finished this. I wasn't sure what to expect with a new book and few ratings but it turned out great.

It is a beginners to mid level examination of the science we have today to explore oceans on Earth and other solar system bodies. It doesn't waste time getting too far into technology we don't currently understand or have but goes with what we already know and use.

The explanation of some astronomical or physics or chemistry fact always raises additional questions that the author promptly goes on to examine without getting side tracked on a new topic. Examples would be 'How do we know there is (probably) and ocean below the ice on a Jovian moon without drilling a hole in it?" Answer: We use this machine and this scientific principle and here is a short review of how we know this and how it works (i.e. Rotational characteristics of shell vs. uniform composition ice moons and how to determine this with a space craft). No calculator or PhD required to understand.

The science may be a bit much for some but the information is presented in such a manner as to make it understandable with a small dose of faith that some really smart people have been working on these subjects since before PC's and cell phones were around.

The presentation was orderly and worked well. There was only a half sentence that got repeated (oops) but the sound quality was good throughout and was consistent. The reading was a presentation of facts for the student to learn from rather than an over dramatic recitation. It would be a great set of lectures to attend especially with added graphics and would be a superb episode for Nova or Nature TV programs or even NASA to present. There's even a great science fiction story opportunity hidden in the lectures (or below the ice).

I also appreciate the no nonsense presentation of facts without excessive distraction from the topic with opinion or judgement of motives. Here is what we know. Here is how we know it. Here is where it could lead next.

The author should consider another series of lectures that examine more deeply the aspects of robotic vs. piloted exploration of our solar system based on his experiences of examining our own oceans in depth. No pressure, just a thought.

Good job with this one.

Discover a rare gem in the depths of this book

Perfect! Well written and well read, Alien Oceans will draw you in and keep you hooked like few nonfiction works can. Both broad and specific, Kevin lays out the methods in the search for life and the context. Cannot wait for this book to be updated after the Europa Clipper!